Pitching coach Jeremy Tyson begins his fourth year on the staff of the Southeast Missouri State baseball team. Tyson is also the team's recruiting organizer.
Coming into this season, Tyson has proven himself to be a dominant factor in the Ohio Valley Conference as his pitching staffs have won the conference's ERA title every year he's coached.
This past season saw probably the best pitching staff Tyson has coached. Both Brad Purcell and Brandon Smith posted 12-win seasons tying a school record. Both were all-conference performers as Purcell nabbed the Pitcher of the Year Award in the OVC. Both are now pitching professionally.
In his second season as pitching coach for the Indians, Tyson's staff once again led the OVC in ERA as they pitched an incredible 3.94 earned run average for the season. Junior Todd Pennington made a complete turnaround under Tyson and finished the 2001 season with a 12-1 record, including the nation's best ERA ahead of the likes of curent Chicago Cub, Mark Prior. Pennington was a second-team All-American and was drafted by and later signed with the Cleveland Indians.
In Tyson's four years of coaching, he has had seven pitchers drafted, with two All-Americans and eight All-Conference performers.
In 2000, Tyson helped produce pitcher and OVC Rookie of the Year Jeffrey Hilz and Tommy Thomas, who finished the season ranked 12th in the country in strikeouts. Hilz, a southpaw, led the league with 28 appearances and a 1.71 ERA.
Drafted directly out of high school by the Atlanta Braves in 1992, Tyson decided to postpone pro ball and concentrate on college and enrolled at the University of Houston a year later. While with the Cougars, Tyson compiled a record of 4-3 with three saves.
In 1994, he transferred to Louisiana State University. While with the Tigers, LSU won back-to-back national titles in 1996 and 1997. During his first season, Tyson notched a record of 9-3 and finished second on the team in innings pitched and strikeouts. The 1996 season was cut brief after just four starts due to rotator cuff surgery, Tyson returned in 1997 to pitch middle relief.
Tyson graduated LSU in 1996 with a degree in kinesiology and coached at the University of Texas-San Antonio in 1998.
A proud Texan, Tyson enjoys fishing, hunting and exercising in his free time.
